Automatic mattress tufting machine



Oct. 1 4, 1958 E. L. BRONSTIEN, -JR., ETAL 2,855,878

I AUTOMATIC MATTRESS TUF TING MACHINE Filed July 11, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet2 United States Patent 2,855,878 AUTOMATIC MATss rnrrmio MACHINE EdwardL. Bronstien, Jr., St. Paul, and Richard A. Fisher, Minneapolis, Minn,assignors to The United States Bedding Company, St. Paul, Minn acorporation of Minnesota Application July 11, 1956, Serial No. 597,152 4Claims. (Cl. 112' -s This invention relates to apparatus for tuftingmattresses and the like and more particularly to a machine whichoperates automatically to index the mattress in various position betweenthe tufting heads of a conventional tufting machine for making thedesired tufts ina predetermined sequence of operations to provide adesired tufting pattern without distortion or unbalance in the finishedmattress. v

This application represents an improvement of our copending applicationSer. No. 472,876, filed December 3, 1954, and entitled Automatic TuftingMachine, which application and disclosure is incorporated herein byreference.

V In the aforementioned copending application, description is made of amachine embodying means for auto matically registering the mattress in adesired sequence of tufting positions between the upper and lower headsof a tufting machine. The automatic machine includes a rigid frame onwhich an outer table is mounted for relative endwise movement in onedirection and on which an inner table i mounted on theouter table forendwise movement of the inner table relative the outer table in theopposite direction. The inner table embodies means for receiving themattress to be tufted in a relatively secure and stationary position.

Shifting movement of the inner and outer tables in one direction or theother is effected by a combination which includes a driving meansoperatively connected to the inner and outer tables and locking means inthe form of brakes for holding the tables against movement. Use is madeof a selector means for rendering one or the other of the driving meanseffective or ineffective and one or the other of the locking meanseffective or in-' etfective in a sequence of operations for causingdisplacement of the tables to predetermined positions for registry ofthe mattress between the tufting heads in desired positions for tufting.The machine includes switch means responsive to compietion of thetuftingicycle for selectively rendering a locking means ineffective anda corresponding driving means effective for movement of the table todisplace the mattress to the next tufting position of the predeterminedpattern and it includes switch operated means responsive to the movementof the tables to the desired position for registry of the mattressbetween the tufting heads for rendering the driving means ineffecti'veand for simultaneously renderingthe locking means ineifective to holdthe mattress in the desired position until completion of the tuftingcycle. Thus the mattress is moved periodically in a continuous sequenceof steps to various tu t'ting positions between the tuftiug eads of thetufting machine until the tuft pattern has been completed. Thereafterthe tables are returned to their home or starting position.

in practice, it has been found that there areinstances where thetul'ting head is able to operate through a full cycle thereby toenablethe subsequent operations of the brakes and clutches of the driving andlocking mechanism described without actually having achieved orcompleted the desired tufting operation thereby to enable the machine toproceed through its tufting cycle without ac complishing the desiredobjective. In some instances, such continued operation may even causedestruction of parts or damage to the mattress thereby to interfere withthe productivity of the machine. Such instances may occur, for example,when buttons are not available for use by the tufting head or whencertain knots are formed in the twine but which do not interfere withthe movement of the tufting heads between operated position and return.Thus it becomes necessary to repair the damage andmake up the deficiencyand then return the machine manually to the stage in the cycle whereimproper operation commenced. This leads to a waste of time, materialand labor.

Thus it is an object of this invention to provide means in the automatictufting machine for stopping further operation of the machine wheneversuch inconsistency, interference or deficiency is encountered during thetufting cycle.

These and other objects and advantages will h'ereinafter appear and forpurposes of illustration, but not of limitation, an embodiment ofthe-invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which- Figure l isa perspective viewer? a portion of the bottom head of a conventionaltufting machine showing the features of this invention; v v V Figure 2is a sectional view taken along the line 2- 2 of Figure l; V g I yFigure 3 is a top plan view of the upper portion of the lower head ofthe tufting machine which is shown in Figure l-;' p

Figure 4 is an electrical diagram which isintended to be superimposed onthe electrical diagram of the a orementioned copending application toembody the improve ment as a part thereof; and p I Figure 5 is a sideelevational view of a mattress tufting machinev v v Illustrated inFigures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing a portion otthe lower head of aconventional tufting machine. Such a machine is fully described in theaforementioned copending application and more fully illus; tratedandshown in the handbook published by the United Mattress Machinery Companyof 2 Hancock Street, Quincy, Massachusetts, and entitled UnitedAutomatic Button Tufter -lnstruction Manual and Parts Catalog? I In thepertinent portions of theltufting head,, the numeral 10 indicates thehousing of the lower head with the needle groove 12 through which twineis advanced forkhotted engagement to tie in a bottom button with anotherbutton located on the top side of the rnattresis and with the desiredtension therebetw'een. Since the tufting head and its operation formsno-part for the invention described and claimed herein, detaileddescription thereof will not be made and description herein will belimited to the modification embodied therein to achieve the desiredcontrols in operation and results.

Fixed to the top side of the lower head of the tufting machine is ametal plate 20, referred to as the throat plate. The. horizontallydisposed throat plate is formed with a rectangular opening 22 extendinglaterally from a pair of longitudinally spaced bearing members 24 andwith; a tail opening 26 contiguous with the rectangular opening 22 andextending in the other direction from the bearing members 24.Dimensioned tobe received within a portion of the rectangular opening isa flipper plate 28 which is secured for rocking movement aboiit ahorizontal axis on a shaft 30 which is rotatably supported between thebearing members 24. i

The flipper plate 28 has a cut-out portion in its outer end with asubstantially semicircular section 32 dimensioned to be slightly less incross-section than the crosssection of a button 34, outlined in brokenlines in Figure of the drawing. As a result, a button fed in position tobe tied in by the twine with a button on the top side-of the mattress.will be overlapped-in its peripheral edge portion by a portion of theflipper plate. When the tied-in button 34 is ejected with the mattress,it will rock the flipper plate 28 about its pivot with the shaft 30thereby to cause rotational movement of the shaft. The natural weight ofthe flipper plate, which extends to one side of the pivot, will operateconstantly to urge the flipper plate to return to its normal positionfor use in its next cycle of operation. Instead of relying upon thegravitational force, use may be made of. additional means such astension spring means constantly to urge the flipper plate to return toits normal horizontal position.

It will be evident that when a button is not ejected from beneath theflipper plate as when a button is not present or when some otherobstruction is encountered which prevents ejection of the button, theflipper plate will not be rocked about its pivot, yet the head memberswill be able to carry on through the normal cycle of operation andthereby permit the automatic mattress tufting machine to continuethrough its normal sequence of operations without actually effecting thedesired tufting operation.

In accordance with the practice of this invention, the shaft 30 isextended by a portion 36 which is offset angularly from its axis in thedirection to engage a button 40 of a switch member 42, hereinafterreferred to as the button flipper microswitch. The latter is fixed to aportion of the lower head in position to be engaged by the shaft whenthe shaft is rotated with the flipper plate during ejection of a buttonin the normal cycle of the machine. Instead of offsetting the shaft,other means such as a bracket or a lever may be secured to an end 4diately prior to the completion of the knotting action of the lowerhead.

At this time, relay BP closes and holds itself closed via the buttonflipper switch 42 located on the lower head. If knotting is completedcorrectly and the switch 42 is engaged in response to rocking movementof the flipper plate 28, the relay BP is immediately opened in responsethereto, permitting'the clutches to operate without stopping the tuftingheads. Thus, as the head rises to engage the head switch, as describedin Figure 9 of the copending application, the cycle is continued tocause shifting movement of the tables in the direction to bring the nextposition of the mattress into registry with the tufting heads. As thetables are stopped in position, the heads are again cycled through thedescribed operation.

In the event that knotting'is not done properly or the flipper plate isotherwise not operative, the button flipper switch 42 is not tripped.Relay BP remains closedand the head is permitted to continue in itscycle until" it has cleared the crosshook, at which time the head stopmicroswitch closes to prevent further operation of the head. The powerto the clutches is interrupted so that the tables are stopped directlyover the button that has failed.

Correction can be made at this time or the operator may activate theautomatic start button, described in the copending application, to passover the position and continue the cycling of the machine.

' the word switch," the letters N. C. are intended to indiportion of theshaft in position to engage a switch for normally closed microswitch, asshown in the electrical diagram.

If a button 34 is extracted from beneath the flipper plate 28, then theshaft is turned about its axis to engage the button flipper microswitch42 thereby to open the normally closed microswitch whereby the timedelay relay would drop out and enable the cycle to repeat in a normalsequence. If, on the other hand, abutton is not extracted, the buttonflipper switch 42 is not engaged so that the time delay relay remainsclosed and another microswitch located on the lower head shaft cam wouldtrip and instantly stop the machine through the regular emergency stopcircuit described in the aforementioned copending application.

Referring now more specifically to Figure 4, the lead from relay F andrelay C and relay D is to be broken. In this way, voltage to operate thetwo drive clutches of the table drive mechanisms must first pass throughrelay BP before going through it to relays C and D. All otherconnections may be made to any convenient point in the circuit of theelectrical system of the aforementioned copending application, asindicated, to tie in the microswitch member 42 as a part of theautomatic machine.

In operation, as the tufting head starts its cycle and a mattress iscompressed, voltage is applied from the head microswitch to thedelayrelay S0 The time of operation of therelay S0 is set so that ittrips immecate the words normally closed, and the letters N. O. areintended to indicate the words normally open. The numerals merelyindicate the numbers of the relays in the commercial reduction topractice of the machine as illustrated by the electrical diagram in thecopending application.

It will be understood that changes may be made in the details ofconstruction, arrangement and operation, without departing from thespirit of the invention, especially as defined in the following claims.

We claim:

1. In an automatic mattress tufting machine having a pair of upper andlower tufting heads between which a mattress is located for tufting, aflipper plate on a head mounted for rocking movement from a normal to adisplaced position responsive to extraction of a button which has beentufted means on said plate to receive a button to be tied in during thetufting operation when said plate is in normal position thereby to rockthe plate from normal to displaced position responsive to removal of thetufted button, a switch member, means responsive to rocking movement ofthe flipper plate to displaced position upon extraction of a button foroperating the switch member, and means interconnecting the switch memberinto the power system of the tufting machine for stopping operation ofthe machine upon failure of operation of the switch by the flipperplate.

2. In an automatic mattress tufting machine having a pair of upper andlower tufting heads between which a mattress is located for tufting, ashaft mounted for rocking movement about a horizontal axis, a flipperplate mounted for rocking movement from a normal to a displaced positionresponsive to the extraction of a button which has been tufted, anoperative connection between the plate and shaft for turning movement ofthe shaft responsive to rocking movement of the plate, means on saidplate supplying a button to be tied in during the tufting operation whensaid plate is in normal position thereby to rock the plate from normalto displaced position responsive to removal of the tufted button, aswitch member, means responsive to rotational movement of the shaft uponremoval of a tufted button for operation of the switch member, and meansinterconnecting the switch member in the power system of the tuftingmachine for stopping operation of the machine responsive to failure ofoperation of the switch during the tufting cycle.

'3. In an automatic mattress tufting machine having a pair of upper andlower tufting heads between which a mattress is located for tufting, ashaft mounted for rocking movement about a horizontal axis, a flipperplate mounted for rocking movement from a normal to a displaced positionresponsive to the removal of a button which has been tufted, anoperative connection between the plate and shaft for turning movement ofthe shaft responsive to rocking movement of the plate, means on saidplate supplying a button to be tied in during the tufting operation whensaid plate is in normal position thereby to rock the plate from normalto displaced position responsive to removal of the tufted button, aswitch member, means on the shaft for operatively engaging said switchmember for operation responsive to turning move- 15 ment of the shaft bythe flipper plate upon removal of the tufted button, and meansinterconnecting the switch member in the power source to stop operationof the tufting machine upon failure to be engaged by the shaft duringthe tufting cycle.

4. An automatic mattress tufting machine as claimed in claim 3 in whichthe means on said shaft for operatively engaging the switch comprises anextension on said shaft which is bent out of line with the axis in thedirection to engage the switch upon turning movement of the shaft by theflipper plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,037,847 Morley July 20, 1937 2,251,368 Moser Aug. 5, 1941 2,387,958Vossen Oct. 30, 1945

